Here's to You

I was fortunate to have met Vanessa Aadland last season and be able to be around her amazing energy for a couple shoots and just hanging out in general. Early this season, we were starting our preseason hike from alta and from no where we see the big smile of Vanessa stoked to be out and ready to ski. She joined up with us on the hike for some early season snow and it was nice to have such a positive person around. Below are the shots from that day. Unfortunately only a couple weeks later she broke her back skiing. With time Vanessa will recover to send herself off huge cliffs and spread her amazing zealous for life in the mountains. Send your good energy and Get well soon Vanessa!!!

Maryland Architecture

Although my intended purpose for visiting Maryland was for pleasure, I couldn't help fitting in some business. Below are some samples of the architecture Maryland has to offer.

The new addition to Coppin State, this  physical education complex has state of the art facilities for the students.

The long awaited edition to the Towson Town Center added several businesses giving this sometimes overlooked mall a much needed revitalization.

Towson University's Center for the Arts

Towson University's Center for the Arts

Maryland Part 2

Later on my trip to Maryland, I was fortunate enough to get out on the Chesapeake Bay and fish for some Rock fish with my brother. It was a different way to locate the fish, searching for seagulls and other birds diving into the water. The Rock fish work together to push schools of bait fish to the surface for an easy snack, which the birds take full advantage of.

About to set sail on the Chesapeake Bay

A tug boat pulling your next pair of shoes.

Just follow the birds and you'll find the fish.

A nice Rock fish caught by my brother Todd.

I accidentally wrapped my line around this seagull when I was casting. Fortunately the hook didn't get him, we just had to untangle line from its wings. It was an unexpected catch for sure.

Great day on the Chesapeake with my brother.

The bay bridge. So many memories going over this as a kid.

My nephew Grayson loves crabs

Its not a real trip to Maryland without some crabs. These were caught that morning and steamed minutes before we ate them.

Maryland Pt. 1

My quest to run my first marathon brought me to Maryland where my sister would join me to run in the Marine Corp Marathon. This was definitely one of the hardest physical tests that I have had to face, but it was also very rewarding. With 18 weeks of training and hundreds of miles run got me physically ready to reach my goal.

This is my sister and I at mile 10, only 16.2 more to go.....

The timing couldn't have been better as the leaves were changing and the weather was perfect. I had wanted to fish the Gunpowder River and this gave me a great excuse to bring my gear back. I grew up around this river, but I was never really into fly fishing so it was neat to view it in a different light. I only saw one other angler, which is quite different from my home river the Provo River. It seemed weird to me that I saw much less people in a much more populated state.

I was even fortunate enough to catch a couple fish. Thanks to Backwater Angler for some inside tips on what patterns were working and where the good spots were to fish.

I always love going back east during the fall season to see all the leaves everywhere. Everything from the smells, the colors and the temperatures bring back such good memories.

On the drive to the Gunpowder, all these old buildings were along the side of the road. I really liked the building on the left with all the different colors and textures. I imagined each piece was added throughout the years as weather and age slowly deteriorated it.

Snow in Utah

Its only October and Utah has received over 3 feet of the familiar white stuff. We headed up to Alta for a little hike to get the first runs of the season and we were definitely not disappointed. It sure was the first day as I couldn't find my gloves or goggles and when we got there Greg realized that he didn't have poles. But we pressed on and started hiking along with a hundred or so other enthusiasts to get our long awaited powder turns.

It sure felt good to be standing in this again.

The word was out and we were not along on our hike. Everyone was psyched so it really didn't matter, we were all out for the same reason.

Greg hiking up through the clouds.

It actually started to clear up and Superior started to show itself a little.

Not a bad first run of the season.

Greg managed to get some turns even without his poles. Wait let me help you out.

There you go buddy.

First day is in the books. Lets hope we have another great season.

Utah on Fire- A Trip to the Mt. Nebo Scenic Loop

The fall in the Wasatch Mountains although not as diverse as the east coast can have some of the most intense colors I have seen. From the bright yellows and oranges of the aspens to the reds, oranges, and pinks of the oaks, I am easily inspired to get out and shoot every fall. This year the oaks seemed to turn a muted version of their usually vibrant color and then quickly fade to brown. This was a little discouraging as these are usually some of the best colors. On a recent trip up Big Cottonwood though I noticed that the aspens were looking very nice so I decided to take the hour drive south to the Mt. Nebo Loop. As I arrived, I quickly noticed that the oaks were pretty much doing the same, but as I drove higher and higher and into the aspen ecosystem I was excited to see that much of these trees were at peak color.

An overlook with the south end of the Utah Lake in view.

As I was shooting the image at the top, this man on horseback wandered over and we chatted for a bit. He was a nice man that I could tell had spent many years outdoors, many of which I'm sure were up in these hills. As quickly as he came, he was soon to disappear into the woods.

The sun back lighting this aspen grove created a brilliant glow to the forest.

This owl kept me company for a little while at my campsite before flying off to probably find dinner.

My campsite for the night. I cooked some really tasty chicken fajitas with my super easy and efficient MSR stove and pots

I wasn't really planning on shooting a vista type sunrise but as I turned the corner early in the morning I saw this view and couldn't resist. The aspens in the foreground made for the perfect leading line for this image.

The drive alone is worth the effort to get up to this beautiful area with winding roads, scenic overlooks and great trails.

I spotted these wild turkeys on my way home. There were about 10 of them roaming about in the woods.